Optically readable disks and mechanisms for playing back optically readable disks are well known in the art. Optically readable disks are produced in various forms and formats and are known by various terms in the art. Optically readable disks which include optically readable audio signals or data (such as PCM audio data) digitally recorded thereon are generally known as compact disks or "CDs." Optically readable disks which include both optically readable audio and video signals or data (frequently referred to as CD-V, CLV and CAV) digitally recorded thereon are generally known as laser disks. Optically readable disks which include computer data digitally recorded thereon are generally known as compact disk read only memory or "CD-ROM." Optically readable disks which include computer data which can be written to or recorded on a disk once and read many times are generally known in the art as write once read many disks or "WORM" disks. Optically readable disks which can be written to several times and read several times are known as magneto-optical disks.
Playback mechanisms for each of these foregoing optically readable disks are also well known in the art. Those mechanisms each include, among other things, means for rotating said optically readable disk and an optical read unit for reading the optically readable data or information recorded on said optically readable disk. Optical read units for reading the optically readable data or information recorded on said optically readable disks generally include a laser light source for illuminating the optically readable data or information recorded on said optically readable disks and a light detector for detecting the laser light reflected from the surface of said optically readable disks. The variation of the light detected by the light detector can be translated into digitally readable signals which can thereafter be decoded into digital computer readable data, digital or analog video signals and/or digital or analog audio signals. Examples of such optically readable playback mechanisms are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,680,748; 4,817,068; 4,627,038; 4,730,299; 4,706,237; 4,740,938; 4,873,586 and 4,894,814 (the disclosures of which are all incorporated herein by reference).
Magneto-optically readable and writable disks and playback/recording units are well known in the art, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,862,439 (the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference). Such a magneto-optical recorder/player includes an optical head and a magnet oppositely mounted with the recordable disk placed therebetween. The magnet applies a magnetic field to the recordable disk for information recording and erasure using the magneto-optical effect. Such disks and recorder/players permit the optical recording, erasure and rerecording of optically readable data or information, such as musical selections, computer data and the like.
Optically readable disks have revolutionized the video, audio and computer industry. Optically readable disks have many advantages over other previously known recorded playback media, such as vinyl records, video tape, audio tape computer tape and computer disks (magnetic floppy disks and hard disks). The information storage density of optically readable disks is relatively high. Also, the integrity of the data or information recorded on optically readable disks is not degraded by repeated reading of said data or information from said optically readable disk. Additionally, digital data or information recorded on optically readable disks is often better suited for recording and/or reproducing original source material. Specifically, optically readable disks can reproduce audio and/or video signals better than analog recording media because of the greater dynamic range which can be recorded and reproduced on a digitally recorded optically readable disk. Computer applications of optically readable disks have permitted the relatively permanent storage of vast amounts of information or data in a relatively compact storage medium. Furthermore, for certain optically readable disks, the data or information recorded thereon is not erasable by conventional means. Accordingly, optically readable disks and mechanisms for playing back the data or information recorded on said optically readable disks are in great demand.
Optically readable disks and the mechanisms for playing back the information recorded on said optically readable disks, however, have several disadvantages. Since the data or information recorded on said optically readable disks is permanently recorded on said disks (except magneto-optical disks), the order of said data or information on said optically readable disks cannot be altered. Furthermore, with the exception of "WORM" disks and magneto-optical disks, additional data or information cannot be recorded on said optically readable disks after said disks are initially prepared. Additionally, although data or information recorded on said optically readable disks can be optically read from said disks and recorded on a separate magnetically recordable media, such as onto a magnetically recordable disk (such as a floppy disk or a hard disk), magnetically recordable tape or magnetic random access memory, such separate recording media can become lost or is difficult to associate with the optically readable disk from which said data or information was taken.
Another specific problem exists with respect to compact disks having musical selections or audio information recorded thereon. Music compact disks, as they are commonly produced today, include multiple musical selections recorded thereon. For example, a popular music compact disk may include between six and twenty different musical selection recorded on a single compact disk. A classical compact disk may also include multiple selections or may include a single musical selection. For long musical selections, such as classical music, some compact disks include recorded index points which separate the single musical selection into separate segments, such as separating a classical selection into separate movements.
In playing back the musical selections recorded on a compact disk, it is sometimes desirable to alter the sequence of the playback of the musical selections from the order that said selections were originally recorded on said compact disk. For example, one may desire to play the different selections in a different order, to play one or more selections one or more times in a playback sequence or to skip certain selections on said compact disk during a playback session.
The desirability of altering the playback sequence of data or information recorded on recording media, such as an optically readable disks, specifically musical compact disks, has been recognized in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,210,940 and 4,210,785 disclose methods and apparatus for playing back in a desired sequence segments of prerecorded tapes, such as video tape.
Similarly, compact disk players (Compact Disk Digital Audio Systems) are well known in the art to be user programmable so as to play back portions of the music recorded thereon in a desired sequence. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,894,814 and 4,740,938 disclose compact disk players which can be programmed by the user to play back musical selections in a desired sequence. Generally, such compact disk players include an input unit, a logic processing unit, a memory unit and a disk reproducing unit. Within the disk player, the input unit comprises, for example, a plurality of key switches (keypad or keyboard) for entering a number representing the position of a selected piece of music on the optically readable disk to the logic processing unit. By use of the key switches, a user enters numbers corresponding to the positions of the music which one wishes to reproduce (listen to) in a desired order. The logic processing unit is, for example, a microprocessor and it transmits input signals from the input unit to the memory unit for storage and later read out. The memory unit comprises, for example, read only memories for storing an operation program and random access memories for storing data and the input signals from the key switches. The disk reproducing unit controls the position of a pick-up device relative to the disk for orderly reproduction of the data on the disk, such as music, as requested from the memory unit.
Although such prior art optical disk playback units permit a user to temporarily program a desired sequence of playback of the data recorded on optical disk, such devices must be reprogrammed when a different optical disk is inserted in the player or after the electrical power has been turned off. In other words, the optically readable disk player must be reprogrammed each time a disk is inserted into it.
The disadvantage of having to reprogram an optically readable disk player for a playback sequence for each different optical disk has also been recognized in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,779,252 (the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference) discloses a compact disk player which stores in nonvolatile memory multiple playback sequence programs for different compact disks. The compact disk player reads unique subcodes prerecorded on compact disks to associate a particular compact disk with a particular program sequence stored in the player's memory. The player then retrieves the desired program sequence from its memory and executes said program sequence for playing back the compact disk inserted therein.
Although a compact disk playback system, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,779,252, permits multiple program sequences to be stored in memory for later use with the corresponding compact disk, such a system is not completely desirable and has several disadvantages. Such an optical disk playback system is usable only for a particular preprogrammed optical disk player. In other words, if a compact disk which had a program sequence stored in a particular playback unit, such as a home unit, is played back in a different playback unit, such as a playback unit located in an automobile or a portable playback unit, the other playback unit would have to be reprogrammed with the desired playback program sequence. The disadvantages of such a system are apparent.
Furthermore, the optical disk playback systems disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,894,814; 4,740,938 and 4,779,252 only store playback sequence data. Heretofore, it has been unknown in the art to store on an optically readable disk user selectable playback parameters, such as program sequence, volume settings, equalization settings, bias settings, brightness settings, color balance settings, contrast settings and the like. Additionally, it has been heretofore unknown in the art to readably and writably record or store on an optically readable disk data relating to the playback of said optically readable disk, such as search logic for CD-ROMs, user alterable software for optical disk playback, select segments of data read from said optical disk and the like.